I had spend the long and dreamless night in Nanny Oggs' attic. In the morning I woke up by feeling watched. When I opened my eyes, I noticed Greebo sitting next to my head, grinning maliciously. When he saw that I wasn't going back to sleep, he went away.
I put on my dress and went down. I found Nanny Ogg sitting on the table. Greebo was sitting on her lap. In the kitchen I saw a young girl rummaging around who turned around at the sound of my steps and winced. I noticed her resemblance to Nanny Ogg. So she had to be one of her daughters.
"Serve the tea, our Shirl," Nanny Ogg said without turning around. The girl put a cup and a steaming pot onto the table and left without a word.
"Good Morning, Miss," the witch said and waved a hand towards the chair next to her, "Have a seat and a bite to eat, if you like."
"Good Morning, Mrs Ogg," I replied. As I looked at the table, I noticed a third place setting. Obviously, someone was expected to come. Before I could sit down, the door opened up and another woman entered who held a shaggy looking broom in one hand. She was a great deal taller and slimmer than Nanny Ogg. And she seemed to be a lot graver as well.
This woman wore a black dress as well that was much longer than the one Nanny Ogg was wearing. Between the seam and the red boots I could see red-and-white stockings on Nanny Ogg. The other woman's skirt fell down onto her black boots. A long cloak fell over the dress and was held together by a delicate silver brooch underneath her throat.
The look in her bright eyes was intensive. It seemed to be able to cut diamonds. On her head sat a black pointy hat, held in place by several long silvery pins.
I swallowed hard when she put her broom into a corner and looked at me. This woman seemed to be able to look straight into my soul.
"Good Morning, Esme," Nanny Ogg said. The taller woman didn't reply. She just folded her arms across her chest and kept looking at me.
"Well," she said finally, "So this is Roundworld-Miss."
"Yes," I managed to say. The witch looked at me one last time and extended a delicate hand with long slender fingers. I took it carefully and almost expected to hear bones splintering.
"My name is Barbara Meta," I introduced.
"Mistress Esmeralda Weatherwax," replied the witch and sat down herself. So did I. Esmeralda Weatherwax helped herself with a cup of tea, added sugar and stirred.
I began my introductions and Roundworld tales once again, but after a few sentences Esmeralda Weatherwax waved a hand at me and said, "I already know everything I want to know about your world." I gave her a puzzled look. The ghost of a smile touched the mouth of the taller witch.
"You have a kind of talking face, Miss Meta. But I don't think you're surprised to hear that, are you?"
"I indeed heard it once or twice in my lifetime, Mistress Weatherwax. But nobody said it in those plain words before." Esmeralda Weatherwax nodded.
"Why are you here?" she asked. I told her about my life on Discworld, the love between Rincewind and me and about the biggest problem in this case: Mustrum Ridcully. Esmeralda Weatherwax' eyes flickered for a second when she heard this name. But she didn't say anything about that.
"Now tell us what is on your wizard's mind," she requested instead, and I told them about Rincewind's suggestion to call the Archchancellor to Lancre for some reason. At this occasion Esmeralda Weatherwax should try to talk some sense into him and to convince him to let Rincewind and me do this important step.
Nanny Ogg was listening with bright shining eyes while Esmeralda Weatherwax remained stern.
"Your wizard should have thought this out," she sighed when I had finished, "Mustrum Ridcully isn't a man to convince easily to something that apart from his world."
"May I ask if there's a better idea than this one?" I asked. The taller witch nodded.
"All of Esme's ideas are good," Nanny Ogg piped in. Esmeralda Weatherwax noticed this compliment without any further comment.
"It should be quite easy to bring the wizards to Lancre," she said, "The queen has given birth to a second child, a son this time. This is a really important local event, you know. Quite everybody is invited."
"I can understand that," I agreed, "So I suppose that Mustrum Ridcully will attend, won't he?" Nanny Ogg smiled broadly, and Esmeralda Weatherwax nodded briefly.
"There's a lot of things he wouldn't want to miss, and a journey to Lancre is ranking very high on this list. So I count on him being on the way already," she said, "The celebration will start tomorrow. I can talk to him then, this won't be a problem." She fell silent to sip her tea.
"But it might be hard to make him give his consent," Nanny Ogg said.
"But there is a possibility to convince him, isn't it?" I asked. The two witches gave each other a long and somehow thoughtful look.
"Yes, there is a possibility," Esmeralda Weatherwax said, "But there are some requirements as well. Do you love your Rincewind with all your heart?"
"I do," I replied. Esmeralda Weatherwax brought her face closer to mine. Her bright eyes locked with my dark brown ones.
"And do you dare to go to the outmost in this case?" she quietly asked. Very carefully, I searched for the right words to say.
"All my life, I have been looking for such a man. Now I don't want to loose him again, Mistress Weatherwax," I said, "Yes, I dare to go to the outmost in this case."
The witch looked at me for one or two seconds before she blinked and nodded.
"That's good," she said and gave me another short smile, "I don't have to worry then." She looked at me as if she wouldn't say anything more about this. So I didn't dare to ask about details of the plan.
The eyes of Nanny Ogg suggested confidence. But the look in the bright eyes of Esmeralda Weatherwax made me wonder if I was really ready to go to the outmost. I just could hope that my courage would last.
When the next morning dawned, the witches led me to Lancre Castle to meet King Verence II and Queen Magrat of Lancre. We had to pass lots of servants and maid. Every now and then, Mistress Weatherwax had to push aside a servant to pass. Nanny Ogg held onto my arm and led me to the throne room. The servants and maids were busy to set everything in place here, too. The big celebration on the occasion of the baptism was about to begin this evening.
To my great astonishment, the Royal Couple was quite young. The King, a tall and portly built man, couldn't be older than twenty-eight years, and the blond delicate Queen looked even younger. Both of them were very friendly and let me know that Lancre Castle would be open for me, not only for the celebration but at every other time as well.
"After all, it is a great honour to have Roundworld-Miss here in Lancre," King Verence II said solemnly, and the Queen gave me a benevolent nod.
„It is an even greater honour to meet Your Majesties," I replied and drew a curtsy. The Royal Couple gave me another benevolent smile before the Queen's gaze went past me and changed for a second. The two witches had stood behind me during this scene and had listened.
"We have prepared a room for you. So you can refresh yourself before the celebration will start," the Queen said and signalled for one of the maids. I recognized the girl I had seen in Tir Nani Ogg who had been addressed as Shirl. I drew another curtsy.
"Your Majesties are very kind to me, by Io," I said, hoping that was adequate to mention Blind Io, the Head of the Discworld Gods and Sender of Thunder and Lightning.
The Queen nodded. Shirl drew a curtsy and led me towards the door. Esmeralda Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg didn't move from their spots. For a moment, I wanted to stay and listen to the plan. But the look from Esmeralda Weatherwax made me change my mind. Besides, my body could use a bath and a fresh dress. Maybe I could do with some rest and food, too.
Some time later I was lying in the most beautiful tub I had ever seen. Unlike my tub at home, it was made of smooth white marble and was a lot larger. It was spacious enough to give room to Rincewind and me both. Shirl had hung up my clothes to dry. A stove was warming up the room. Next to the tub there was a small plate with some fruit standing on a small table near-by.
Yet I wasn't really confident. Sure, the thing might come to a good end but my optimism had shrivelled since the day before because I didn't know what was on the mind of Esmeralda Weatherwax.
I arose from the tub, combed my hair and got dressed. Since I was braiding my hair, my natural curls had almost vanished. So I could avoid looking like a duster in wet weather.
The dress I wore was my best summer dress. It was dark red, just like my best winter dress. But the cloth was a lot thinner to cope with the warmth. Black lace was ornamenting the v-neck. It ran along the long sleeves and around the seam of the top part of the dress as well as the edges of the sleeves. The lace formed 3 large hooks on the skirt. I closed the five black buttons on the front and appreciated once again Death's generosity.
I looked at the mirror while Shirl braided my hair and put it very elegantly around the back of my head.
"Thank you," I said to the girl, looked again at my reflection and felt uneasy again.
Esmeralda Weatherwax is a very intelligent and powerful witch. She'll know what to do, I thought, and I knew that was the truth. Yet, the uneasiness remained.
There were already some guests in the throne room when I entered. I noticed the two witches, a few young servants and maids looking very similar to Nanny Ogg and finally there were the main faculty members of Unseen University: Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully, the Dean, the Chair of Indefinite Studies, the Senior Wrangler, the Lecturer in Recent Runes, the Librarian and Rincewind.
Rincewind turned his head and spotted me. I was about to go to him, but Mustrum Ridcully stepped ahead and knit his brows. I stopped and looked at the scrawny wizard who smiled guiltily and shrugged. I looked at Mustrum Ridcully and withdrew. The wizards went to the buffet and helped themselves with a first plate of food. I couldn't help smiling.
This was the first part of Rincewind's idea. Esmeralda Weatherwax hadn't seemed to change that part. So it had worked according to plan. Rincewind had prophesied that Mustrum Ridcully would hit the ceiling and would hold me responsible for the fact that Rincewind was thinking about marrying now.
I felt a bit calmer when I walked around in the throne room,eating and drinking a bit. Among other people I met a dwarf standing close to Nanny Ogg.
"Meet Count Giamo Casanunda," the old witch said. I learned that even the dwarfs had heard the news of "Roundworld-Miss". So the Count was very delighted to meet me. What he lacked of size he coped with charm and cordiality.
It was a quiet ceremony. The priest, a man in his fifties, held a calm speech and baptised the Prince as Thomas Verence Jonathan of Lancre. When he had finished, servants and maids were handing small mugs of tin to everyone. I took one from a medium-sized redhead who gave me a jaded smile. I hardly noticed that he looked as similar to Nanny Ogg as Shirl did. The Royal Couple lifted their mugs for a toast.
"May our son live to see peace and wealth," King Verence II said, "May he live to see wisdom and fairness."
The people lifted the mugs to toast and drank. I emptied my mug to down in one. The liquid tasted like wine, dry and sweet and fruity all the same. And yet, there was another taste I couldn't place.
Suddenly, the world seemed to fade to grey. The light became dim and dreary. My heart began to pound harder. I could feel it in every part of my body, slowing down with every second. Then the world became blurred in front of my eyes, and I blacked out.
I jerked my eyes open. I was lying on a hard floor. There was nothing but black. But then I realized that I had been wrong. The blackness was multi-faceted.
I arose and looked around. I could see a lawn, a bunk, a house and a figure sitting on the bunk. The figure was quite familiar – very tall and very bony.
"Death!" I exclaimed, going to meet him. The Grim Reaper turned around and lifted a hand.
"Where am I?"
"YOU ARE IN MY DOMAIN," said Death, "IT IS AT THE EDGE OF TIME." He patted the bunk to offer me a seat.
"Does that mean I've died?" I wondered, looking at him insecure.
"NO. YOU ARE JUST SEEMINGLY DEAD. OR UNCONSCIOUS MIGHT BE MORE LIKE IT."
I looked at my hands and my sleeve. Both looked as always yet more transparent. I could see the grass through my hand. This was a very interesting sight but I wasn't sure if it was a good sign.
"What will happen now?" I wondered. The Grim Reaper rested his chin on one hand and shrugged.
"ALL WE CAN DO IS TO WAIT IF THE IDEA OF MISTRESS WEATHERWAX WILL BE WORKING AND IF RIDCULLY WILL BE GIVING IN."
I nodded. This made sense on closer expectation. It didn't bother me anymore that no-one had told me the details. Yet there was something that was a food for thought.
"I'll never understand that you know every step of every mortal," I said and shook my head.
"IT HELPS TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE WILL DO," Death said, "YOU NEVER CAN TELL." Due to his tone of voice, there was nothing more to say about it. So we fell silent.
I looked over Death's Garden. On closer inspection, there were details to see. I could see waving grass, some apple and cherry trees or some beehives.
"Death?" I whispered.
"YES?"
"Do you really believe this will work?"
"WELL, YOU DID BELIEVE IT, DIDN'T YOU?" was the Grim Reapers' answer. I didn't know what to say. Yes, I had been convinced that it was a good idea, either the witch's or Rincewind's. Now, however, sitting in Death's Domain and seeing the black grass through my half-transparent hands, Courage had vanished a bit.
Nothing happened for a while. Then, all of a sudden, my left hand became more visible. I winced hard at this sight.
"Death? What's happening here?" I whispered. The Grim Reaper didn't reply. He pulled something from his rope I recognized as my life-timer. I was horrified to notice that there was just little sand left in the upper half.
"No..." I hardly could speak. Death just looked at me and put his hand on my shoulder. I thought there was a kind of sympathy showing in his empty sockets.
"Please, no! It can't be over! Not after we've been through so much!"
Death remained silent. He didn't seem to have anything to tell me.
Suddenly I felt a pulling behind my eyeballs. It grew faster and spread over the whole body. Puzzled, I looked at Death and wanted to say something when I saw my hand becoming less visible again and vanishing completely within a few seconds. I saw Death lifting up the life-timer and turning it around. At the same time, something pulled me back, and I blacked out again.
When I regained consciousness, the first thing I felt was a strange peppermint-like taste in my mouth. I opened my eyes and looked straight into Rincewind's face. The wizard's eyes widened. He uttered a sound that was very similar to a whimper when he took me in his arms and hugged me tight. I could feel his hands shaking badly.
"Ye Gods," he whispered and kissed my forehead and both cheeks, "I thought you were... Oh, bugger, I... I mean..."
"It's alright," I replied and hugged him back, "All is well, my Dear." Rincewind gave me a smile that looked all over the moon.
I looked further and saw the faces of Nanny Ogg, Mustrum Ridcully, the Royal Couple and Esmeralda Weatherwax.
Nanny Ogg gave me a wink while Esmeralda Weatherwax kept her stony face.
The Royal Couple smiled at me.
Mustrum Ridcully's stern face was brightening up.
"I'm glad to see you're back with us, Miss," he said after he had cleared his throat.
"The pleasure is mine, too," I said and wanted to get up. Rincewind gave me a hand and led me to the next seat where he handed me a small cup. First I hesitated but then I noticed a small nod from Nanny Ogg. The cup contained nothing but tasty apple juice.
The celebration continued. Rincewind took care of me. He brought me enough food and drink and stayed near me.
"Did I tell you yet how beautiful you look today?" he asked once. Smiling, I shook my head and kissed him.
In a silent minute, the Archchancellor came over and sat near us.
"How do you feel, Miss?" he asked.
"I'm feeling very much better, thank you very much."
"I suppose you know that Rincewind talked to me about... about... this thing," he said.
"I can imagine that," I said, nodding slowly. The Archchancellor's face bore a strangely bashful impression. He took off his hat and fumbled at the brim.
"And you can imagine I didn't like the sound of it very much. After all, both of you said you didn't want to get married."
"Well, one can reconsider," I replied, feeling my face blush. To my astonishment, the Archchancellor nodded and took a deep breath.
"Well, I have reconsidered as well," he said, "And you were right."
Rincewind's eyes widened. He didn't seem to have heard those words often from Mustrum Ridcully.
"I was right about what?" I asked.
"You were right about the things you said about love." The Archchancellor put his hat back on.
"And I have decided that the marriage of a wizard wouldn't be against the rules," Mustrum Ridcully continued, "In this special occasion, of course."
"It is?" I assured myself and overcame the temptation to look to Esmeralda Weatherwax. That would have ruined everything.
"Yes, it is. Rincewind isn't a usual wizard. He can do magic by now, but his magic is still not good. That's his speciality."
"Thank you so very much," grunted Rincewind.
"Thus you will be wed when we're back at Ankh-Morpork," the Archchancellor said, unimpressed by the interruption.
Very slowly, a smile spread across Rincewind's face. He hugged me and gave me a tender kiss. His eyes were sparkling with joy and relief. I returned the kiss before I arose and shook the Archchancellor's hand.
"Thank you so very much, Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully," I said smiling, "I thank you with all my heart." Mustrum Ridcully looked down at his hands before giving me a short smile.
"You're very welcome, Miss Barbara." He nodded towards us and withdrew. Rincewind and I continued to take care of each other before he apologized to use the privy. As soon he was gone, Esmeralda Weatherwax sat next to me.
"You were right, Miss," she said, "Your Rincewind does love you with all his heart."
"Yes, he does." I knew it was really trivial but I didn't know what else to say. The witch nodded. Finally I worked up my courage to ask something that was a burning issue to me.
"What happened while I was blacked out?"
"Close your eyes," the witch said with a knowing smile and put her left hand on my forehead. I could hear her murmuring. My eyelids became heavy and fell shut. Then I could see pictures flickering in front of me...
I see me rolling my eyes and collapsing. The mug drops from my hand and rolls away. Rincewind turns around, utters a scream and runs towards me. The Archchancellor tries to stop him but he fails. Rincewind drops onto his knees next to me and takes me in his arms.
"Barbara?" he asks, caresses my hair and tries to wake me up.
"Barbara, Dear, please, speak to me!" he conjures me and kisses my cheeks, the mouth and the forehead. But it is no use. Rincewind puts me gently back on the floor. Then he feels my wrist to find my pulse and starts crying. He turns towards Mustrum Ridcully and grips the seam of his robe.
"Do something!" he demands sobbing, "Help her!" Mustrum Ridcully pulls his robe from Rincewind's long fingers and goes in a huddle with the other wizards while Rincewind is growing more and more anxious.
"I'm afraid I can't help her," he says.
"Then think of something!" Rincewind almost screams at him under his tears, "I don't care what you'll do! But do something! Save her! Save her now!"
Slowly, Mustrum Ridcully turns to face the two witches.
"Esme, you're the most powerful witch far and wide," he says, "I know you can help the Miss."
"Oh, I'm not sure, Mustrum," the witch replies evenly, "I don't know what to do in this case."
"Esme, please, I know you can!" The Archchancellor draws a deep breath and looks at her beseechingly. The witch looks him over before she folds her arms across her chest and tilts her head slightly aside.
"Well, I think I really could do something for her, Mustrum," she says and looks into the Archchancellor's eyes. Ridcully sighs in relief.
"You can?" he asks. Rincewind lifts his teary eyes up to her.
"However, my help subjects to some condition," continues Esmeralda Weatherwax, "I'll help her on condition that you'll allow Rincewind to marry the Miss." Mustrum Ridcully gives her a horror-stricken gaze.
"What?" he thunders, "You can't do that, Esme!"
"I won't help her if you won't agree!" Esmeralda Weatherwax says categorical. The Archchancellor turns pale and says, "You're blackmailing me, Esme?"
"Maybe I do so, Mustrum," the witch replies resolutely, "But do think of the consequences for a moment. If you dig in your heels you could be blamed for the death of Roundworld-Miss."
More tears are showing in Rincewind's blue eyes when he says, "Please, Archchancellor, please don't do that! I... I can't live without her! Please, Archchancellor, please help her!"
For a few minutes Mustrum Ridcully looks from Esmeralda Weatherwax to Rincewind who is still kneeing beside my lying body. Finally, he bows his head and utters a long and somehow tortured sigh.
I can see my left hand twitching. I'm almost positive that this has been the moment when it has been becoming solid in Death's domain.
"Alright, Esme," the Archchancellor almost whispers, "I'll agree to this marriage."
Esmeralda nods and brings forward a little bottle with a greenish liquid. She pushes Rincewind aside and opens my lips to pour some of the liquid in my mouth. Then she closes my lips and murmurs a few words.
With the beating of my heart my body comes alive again...
I opened my eyes again and looked at Esmeralda Weatherwax as she took her hand from my forehead and returned the look.
"Thank you so very much, Mistress Weatherwax," I said smiling.
"Don't mention it," the witch replied. She shook my hand and was gone.
When the night drew to a close, I was back in my room, lying in the tub again. Shirl had brought me another bowl of fruits. They helped me relax.
This had been a very long and exhausting day. Firstly, I had attended to one of the Lancre feasts I had read about, and secondly, I had made another incisive experience. After all, visiting the Grim Reaper in his domain and coming back to tell of it was no usual thing to do.
But I still remembered the frightening sight of my hand in Death's domain. Despite of the warm water it was still giving me a shiver. So I hoped to avoid this for a long, long time.
There was a small knock at the door. Rincewind poked his head into the room.
"Hello, Dear," he said smiling. I straightened up and reached out for him. The wizard came in, closed the door and knelt down in front of the tub.
"Are you alright?" he asked, took me in his arms and put his forehead against mine. I nodded.
"You know, I never thought everything would work out in that good way," the wizard continued without almost any transition, "I mean, first we meet in the streets of Ankh-Morpork where I walk around every day, and then we fall in love, and we're happy with each other, and now we're going to marry, and no-one is arguing about it, and..." I pulled him nearer and closed his mouth with a tender kiss.
"Yes, I know what you want to say, Dear," I whispered, "And by the way, I feel the same." The wizard gave me a timid smile. He took a strawberry from the plate and nudged the tip against my lips. I obeyed and let him feed me. We shared the fruits and talked, me sitting in the tub, he kneeling in front of it. When the water had turned too cold, we lied down.
Mustrum Ridcully and the faculty wanted to leave on the day after the celebration to make sure that Unseen University would keep working. Rincewind told me that the Archchancellor had allowed him to stay for another day to take care of me.
So Rincewind and I enjoyed the extra day in piece. We slept until noon and shared plenty of tenderness. When we got up in the afternoon, I asked Shirl to pour another bath for both of us.
Rincewind noticed that my braid had become messed. So he opened my hair to wash and comb it carefully.
Before we returned to Ankh-Morpork, the wizard and I used the opportunity to thank the parties hereto and went to see Nanny Ogg and Esmeralda Weatherwax. The witches had gathered in "Tir Nani Ogg" when we dropped by.
Esmeralda Weatherwax didn't talk much but she watched us closely. Nanny Ogg served tea and a light meal and made us talk about our plans. When we said goodbye, she handed me a small lucky charm to bring luck to our marriage. I could see that Rincewind didn't think much of it. But he held his tongue.
In the evening, after we had bid farewell to the Royal Couple, we were sitting in a carriage and were driven to Ankh-Morpork. The ride seemed to be endless. The night was growing darker and darker. I could see almost nothing out there because the moon was hidden behind a cloud.
I was dozing when Rincewind suddenly straightened up and started sniffing.
"Barbara!" I heard him whisper, "Barbara, wake up, Dear!"
"Um?" I opened my eyes and tried to reorientate myself. The wizard peered into the darkness and sniffed hard before he said, "We're here!"
I looked out of the window and tried to see something. Just in that moment, the moon came forward behind a cloud.
I saw the Tower of Art reaching up for miles and miles. I saw the small labyrinthine alleys and roads of the town and the roofs shining with tar. I saw the broad river Ankh shining in the moonlight. The intense smell of the city was waving towards us.
A smile crept into my face, and the warm feeling of joy crept into my stomach. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to face Rincewind who was smiling back at me.
"Yes," he said and kissed me gently, "We're back home."
I nodded while I was thinking about the various stations of my life.
I thought about my hard, sometimes even cruel childhood in a small German town which I had learned to despite with all my heart.
I thought about the years of education in other German cities I was holding much dearer.
I thought about the time when I had moved close to Dusseldorf where I had lived pleasantly until the class reunion.
Now I realized that I had been happy in some of these cities but the first town I had really felt at home had been here on Discworld, in the sizzling and always exciting metropolis of Ankh-Morpork.